To conduct a land seismic survey, a cable having a plurality of pairs of electrical conductors is layed out along a survey line and connected at one end to a recording device. At spaced locations along the cable, usually called stations, a "takeout" is provided that enables the leader wire of a string of geophones to be electrically connected to one of the pairs of conductors inside the cable. Each pair of conductors and the phones connected thereto form a data channel so that acoustic waves that are reflected upward from subsurface boundaries between rock strata will be recorded on that channel of the recorder which is hooked up to that particular pair.
Takeouts have been built in numerous forms. One structure that is fairly popular includes a molded elastomer Y-block on the cable having a pigtail that leads to a molded connector assembly. The assembly has a pair of electrical contacts that mate with the contacts of a companion connector on the end of the geophone leader wire. One reason for the popularity of this type takeout is that if the connector assembly becomes damaged in some way, the pigtail can be cut to a shorter length and a new connector assembly spliced onto it. However since the pigtail and connector assembly provide a flexible appendage on the side of the cable, a common practice in the field is to wrap a large amount of electrical tape around the pigtail, the connector assembly and the cable to secure the components alongside the cable. However this procedure is time consuming and troublesome, and with time the tape will begin to peel loose and come off, which requires further time and attention.
The general object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved takeout of the type described that is constructed and arranged to obviate the foregoing problems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved takeout structure of the type described where a pigtail mounted connector assembly is firmly mounted in a unique manner on the cable.